The Way
by mx33
Summary: The familiar stranger comes back to the X-men, but she's not what she used to be. It's up to Xavier to show her that she can still lead a normal life, Logan will teach her the way, maybe even be taught. Sequel to "Whatever It Takes".
1. Dead or Alive

Disclaimer: I own all of the X-Men, especially Logan, he's mine and no one should touch him, unless you want a swift kick in the butt. I don't care what Marvel thinks, 'cause I have no money anyhow, so sue me away.   
By the way, Faye is my character, she goes by the name of Gene sometimes, so she's mine too. Daniel, Jeff, Tom and Rue are all mine, but Rue's partially Durga's cause she named her (thanks, Durga!)   
If you want any of the characters, you have to ask, I probably won't let you but it's more polite to ask than just take. 

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Author's Note: All my stories are based on the Evolution series, meaning they all take place together with the show. Right now, we're in between Stuff of Heroes and Blind Alley. The story starts at the beginning of Blind Alley, to be exact, so keep that in mind. 

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1. Logan came around the corner and sped his bike toward Akira's. He had come home earlier than usual because he knew they were going to need him at the Institute, but he wasn't ready to face Tom just yet, plus Xavier already had told him to come early in the morning; four in the morning just wasn't a good time to just walk in, though some of the students would get up that early. He knew Tom would blame him for what happened to Faye. He stopped his bike a little before reaching the restaurant; he wanted to walk the rest of the way. 

Suddenly, he stopped and sniffed the air around him. He growled and walked into an alley between Akira's and a building. 

"I know ya're in here, hairy," he growled putting his claws out. "Come on, show yer ugly face already." 

Sabretooth came out of the shadows and chucked a ring at Logan, who caught it midair. 

"What's this? If ya're askin' me to marry ya, I ain't interested."   
"Heh. Ya're already married, right? Maybe twice and ya don't know it."   
"Alright, whadda ya want?"   
"I came to tell ya that she's dead."   
"Liar. She wouldn't die that easy."   
"Believe what ya want. But she is, I tell ya. Magneto tested a bunch of crap on 'er and she just couldn't take it."   
"What did he do?!?"   
"Heh, heh. This and that, and a couple of times she tried getting away from me was just too much for her." 

Logan extended his claws. He attached Sabretooth's chest, but he caught his arms before they reached the flesh. 

"What did ya do ta 'er, eh?" he growled.   
"Use yer imagination, if ya have one," Sabretooth said, throwing him against Akira's building. 

"Bastard! I'll kill ya."   
"Hurts don't it?"   
"Ya were always jealous she chose me!"   
"I ain't never wanted 'er. I just wanted ta see ya suffer, she's yer weak spot and ya know it." 

Rapidly, a bunch of leaves caught his arm. He turned to see Akira standing in the alley. 

"Are ya nuts? Get outta here. This is my fight, bub!" Logan howled.   
"No, this everyone's fight," Akira said. "I care for Faye too, so, this my fight too."   
"Why I otta...," Sabretooth started, but more leaves and branches wrapped around him; in the sky, birds swooped down in attack formation.   
"You no welcome here," Akira said as dawn broke. 

Sabretooth growled and snatched the plants away, but left them. Logan was sitting on the floor watching his eyes burned and his throat seemed clogged; he wanted to cry, but he wasn't about to, not in front of Akira anyway. 

"Come, Rogan-san," he said.   
"Thank you," Logan said, still gripping the ring, which seemed more like a thorn on his heart. 

They walked toward the restaurant in silence. Logan threw himself in one of the chairs and sighed. 

"Drink," Akira said, pushing a cup in front of Logan.   
"What's this?"   
"Miracle water. Drink, drink."   
"Argh," Logan groaned as he gulped the liquid down, burning his throat and warming up his body.   
"Strong, no?" Akira laughed.   
"What is it?"   
"Special sake. Family made."   
"It's very strong."   
"That my father's secret."   
"Ya heard what happened to Faye?"   
"No, but I don't want to hear. Concentrate living today, you got Institute kids to care. Faye want you to be happy, no?"   
"Yeah, I'm sure she would. Akira-san, domo arigato."   
"Doo itashimashite."   
"Sayonara."   
"Sayonara, Rogan-san." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

2. The woman kept on walking with all the energy she had left. She had already depleted yet two more trees of their life forces, and she didn't want to do it again. On her shoulder, she carried a traveling bag with a large, brown robe, much like the ones that the Buddhist monks use, hanging from it, and on her back a girl slept tiredly. 

She stopped to rest a little as the girl moaned sleepily. She looked down at her bleeding feet--she had been walking barefoot ever since they left, though her black and dark blue uniform, which was a full bodysuit that covered most of her torso, while the halter-style top left her shoulders, neck and arms bare, and wrapped around her foot, but opened at the toes and some of the back of the heel, should've been protecting it rather nicely; she also wore skin-tight gloves, which were there to protect her while using her powers, and a set of Buddhist beads given to her by the same priest that gave her the bag and the robe. She brought up her foot and took a splinter out of her big toe; then, she adjusted the sliding girl and the bag, and started walking again. Up ahead, the sky growled and hollered at her. 

_Oh, no, not rain,_ she prayed. _Dawn is about to break._

They came by a rest stop with lots of cars and trucks resting there. She walked quietly towards it and looked for a nice place near the back. She found a clearing near a river that looked perfect. The trees provided them with enough covering to hide them from preying eyes, but still letting the fading moonlight shine their surroundings. 

_If it rains, we can just go inside,_ she thought. 

She brought the bag --it was smaller than a sports bag, very tough due to it's leather exterior, and packed with their very few, but precious, belongings--down into the ground, picked up the robe and, carefully balancing the girl on her back, placed it down. Without waking the girl, she put her down on the robe and looked for twigs to build up a fire, always being careful as to not draw attention to them. 

The small sparks kept them warm for a while. She was drifting off to sleep, but she tried her best to keep awake, to watch the fire and the girl. She noticed her for the first time in the long days that they had been walking and going around. The night light and the red sparks of the fire gave her an almost angelic expression. As hard as it was, she continued to spread the smoke away with her powers, while keeping a close ear to everything that was happening around her. The light started coming in slowly and the girl moved around quietly. 

"Continue sleeping," she said. "It's still too early."   
"No, it's all right. You have to rest too. I know you've been up all night, I felt us moving."   
"I tried not to wake you."   
"No problem, you sleep a little now," the girl said, getting up. 

The woman laid down on the stretched robe, as the girl took her post. 

"Be careful, ok, darling?" the woman said.   
"Don't worry, you taught me well," she answered, smiling. 

The woman smiled back and closed her tired eyes. Sleep came soon, but it wasn't the kind of rest she wanted, the dreams soon followed, and the girl watched as she started tossing and turning. 

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3. The X-kids came into the kitchen to find that Logan had already made coffee. He poured some in his mug, unhurriedly. 

"Morning," said Scott, who got a grunt as a response. "Uh, Logan, could you help me put the satellite up?"   
"Yeah, sure. Chuck told me that we might need new cables first."   
"Ok." 

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4. The girl watched her companion sleep. Surprisingly, she started talking, calling out for someone... 

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5. At the same time, Logan took another sip of his coffee... 

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6. The woman asked for someone named Logan. She pleaded him to come back, not to leave her and for forgiveness... 

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7. Suddenly, Nightcrawler popped into the kitchen, right in front of Logan... 

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8. "Logan!" she called, sitting up with her arm stretched out, as if she was reaching for him. 

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9. ...Logan felt something as the cup tumbled from his hand and fell, splattering coffee and broken pieces all over the floor. Everyone looked at each other and then at Kurt, who gulped. Logan looked at the broken mug, in awe. 

"I'll clean it up, don't worry," Kurt tried to fix things.   
"Ya bet ya will," Logan said, coming back from his original trance. "Ya're gonna have a few sessions with me too, so ya can learn not to pop up in front of people like that."   
"Oh, man!" Kurt groaned as Logan left. 

Logan went up to his room and dropped himself on the bed. He pulled the ring and the locket from his pockets; something didn't really fit in. He bit into the ring and it gave into the pressure. It wasn't real. His heart leaped in joy, and, suddenly, he felt too tired to do anything else; he really needed to sleep. He gave into darkness with the easy feeling that she was alive. He knew for sure that it was her that had called his name in the kitchen. 

_The ol' link's still workin',_ he thought, as he drifted off into sleep. 


	2. Dreams

10. The woman slept soundly again. Her initial start had gone by, but she didn't really seem to notice it at all. 

_Maybe she's a sleepwalker,_ the girl thought. _I ain't never seen her asleep before. It sure was strange to have her get up like that, screaming, eyes wide open, and then...just lay back down and sleep. What if it's the other dude that is on her right now???? How creepy._

The girl shifted uneasily, but continued looking at the sleeping woman; she moved her eyes down to the glistering ring in a chain around her neck. She knew the woman would wake up the minute she touched that ring. She wasn't too sure that her powers worked too well on her. They had enough money, she had made sure of that, it should be enough to last them a week or more, but she wasn't the one who took care of finances. 

The woman shifted uneasily, clearly showing she as having another nightmare. 

_Should I wake her?_ the girl thought. 

Her dreams tended to get very violent, and this one seemed like it was no exception. 

_Alright, I think I will._   
"Umm...," she bit her lip. "Gene? Wake up...come on, Gene, wake up....WAKE UP!!!!" 

She shook the woman, who woke up in a start and reached for the girl's throat with her transformed left hand. The girl jumped back to avoid her but she had reached her. Energy slowly left her small body. 

"STOP!" she cried with tears in her eyes. "Please, stop!" 

Her powers had worked, she hurried to get away from the paralyzed woman, but found that her legs were very weak. She sat staring at Gene's dead eyes; they were full of rage and pain. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out she had it rough; her eyes cried it loud enough for anyone to hear. The girl crawled away and sat back near a tree. 

She concentrated on her powers, however, still fearing the woman's rage. With a thump, the girl's control over Gene's movement seceded. She looked attentively, still breathing hard, at the woman standing in all fours, puzzled. Gene looked around wondering what had happened, her muscles ached too much for her to have done nothing. She kneeled down and looked for the girl. She found her near a tree, all scared. Suddenly, she knew what she'd done. She hurried over to her and reached for her head, but the girl recoiled. 

"Rue...," she said, her raspy voice showed stress--she was going to lose it soon. "I'm sorry. I need to learn more control, I know. If you let me touch you, I'll heal you up and you'll be yourself in no time, ok?" 

Rue nodded; she wanted to trust her, but having your energy drained isn't a feeling you soon forget. She closed her eyes and let Gene do her work--a warmth covered her body in a way that she'd never experienced before. It was as if Gene wasn't curing her, which she'd done many times before, but healing her with love. She truly felt Gene's love flowing within her. 

She was way beyond healthy, but she continued to heal her. 

"Gene, I'm alright now, really," Rue said. "Please, stop or you'll have no energy left."   
"Are you sure you're ok?"   
"Yea, besides, if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take me to that Institute."   
"You're right," she finally said, stopping her powers. 

Gene's head throbbed and her breath shortened. She was trying to get used to having less energy than before while hiding the fact from Rue, who was as sharp as a tack. She looked at the girl, she was walking up to the stream with a canteen. 

Despite her tall figure body, Rue was still rather small for a eleven-year-old. She was also starting to blossom into womanhood; the curves appearing on her body, though she tried to hide it, and the very defined muscles on her legs were proof of that. She had sun-tanned skin and pretty brown eyes; her well-formed curls cascaded down her waist in a brown river of hair. Her eyes reminded Gene of someone from the past; always full of wonder, always wanting to know, always so truthful. She was wearing a pair of black pants they had picked up along the way; though Gene told her that she should wear a nice blouse, but she chose a blue and white t-shirt instead. They were not as big as Rue wanted, but they did the job quite right. 

"Who's Logan?" Rue's voice cut into her thoughts.   
"Excuse me?"   
"Logan...? Who's Logan?" she asked again with the, now full, canteen in her hands.   
"Why do you ask?"   
"Well, you were calling him all through the night while dreaming yesterday, and you did it again just a while ago. Who is he??" 

Gene thought for a while of the best answer to that question, and the truth was that she didn't know. She remembered a man named Logan from her past, but who exactly was he and why was she calling for him, she wasn't sure. The mental block was still there. 

"Gene?" Rue called out, impatiently.   
"Well, to tell you the truth, Rue, I don't know that much myself. I know what Creed told me about him, but the bits and pieces I have myself is a totally opposite thing."   
"So Creed was lying?"   
"Perhaps. Or he could've been telling the truth and the mental block Magneto put in me is still messing things up."   
"Oh, yeah, there's that still. Tell me, how did he do that?"   
"A mutant called Mastermind helped him, he let him go afterwards. I guess he found no use to him. Alright, enough talk, let's pack up!" 

Gene looked for the wooden rod she used as a walking stick, which she found it in the bag between the closing flap and the inside. She got it out and used it to push herself up, she walked toward the river carefully, knelt down and flung herself in the water. A cold feeling rushed through her, and she knew deep inside that a fever was coming. She needed to get Rue to Xavier fast. 

_Funny how the mind works,_ she thought. _Here I am, trying to remember who is Logan, or anything about my past, but I can very well recall Xavier, the X-men and Jeff. Although I always get the feeling that there was someone else in the middle of it all._

As she was coming back, Rue had already packed up everything. Gene smiled and pulled the robe over her head, her wounds were bleeding from the strain. Her head started aching bad and her body shivered. That fever was getting to her. 

"Are you alright?" Rue asked. 

Gene opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she nodded. 

"Lost your voice again, huh?" 

She nodded. They walked out in silence; Rue held Gene's hand, who squeezed it, but didn't look down at her. 

A trucker honked, but Gene paid no attention to him. 

"Where are you girls goin'?" he asked. 

No answer. Rue looked at Gene attentively, but didn't say anything. 

"Aw, hey, Ah didn't mean anything by it, Ah was just trying to be polite and offer y'all a ride," he said. "That is if you're goin' mah way." 

Gene stopped and squeezed Rue's hand again. She understood the message. 

"Well, alright, bub," Rue said. "But I wouldn't try anything funny, if I were ya. She ain't someone ta be trusted, so don't mess 'round with 'er, ya know?" 

Rue loved faking accents, especially Sabretooth's. A thought flashed in her mind, it was just a second but it was there nonetheless. Someone, close to her, had said that before, but she couldn't quite place it. 

_**Logan, **_ her mind whispered. _**Remember him? Your...**_

She couldn't hear it. The stress was too high and the pain too much. They climbed up on the truck, Rue first, and headed for Bayville. 

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11. Logan woke up and looked at the clock: 7:30. He groaned, knowing that little nap hadn't helped him a bit, and got up. 

"Logan?" someone knocked on the door.   
"Yeah?"   
"Are you going to the hardware store? I need some things to fix Cerebro," Tom said, walking in the room. 

An awkward, very long silence passed through them. 

"Write everythin' down and I'll get it for ya."   
"Thanks," Tom said, happy to walk out of there. 

_That was harder than I thought, _ he said to himself.   
_**But it was needed,**_ Xavier answered.   
_**Yeah, I know. I just can't help feeling he didn't do everything he could to save her.   
I'm sure he did. Still he misses her and he regrets things he has done.   
You probed his mind?   
His mind of sort of off-limits, but he isn't that hard to figure out.**_

Tom laughed all alone. It felt good to smile again. 

_**What happened to the two men that survived?   
Paul and Louis Verucci.   
Yes, them. How are they?   
Still in the hospital getting psychiatric help.   
Like all of Faye's victims. When she doesn't finish the job, they'd sure wish she had.**_

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They reached the trucker's warehouse on the outskirts of Bayville. 

"Sorry, but this's as far as Ah go," he said. "About 2 miles that way, ya can find a nifty little restaurant, Akira's, Ah think. Anyway, it's a Japanese place, but they have some awesome burgers there."   
"Thanks," Rue said, getting out. 

As they started walking away, they heard the man utter a small cry. 

"Damn this ol', beat-up piece of shit!" he cursed, holding his bleeding hand. 

Gene and Rue walked toward the man. Gene looked at him straight in the eye. Immediately, he calmed down, his muscled relaxed, and his eyes turned glossy; she, then, raised her left hand to his and started curing him. When the man came out of his trance, he was standing alone, his hands were stained with blood but he had no cuts on him, though he remembered having one. 

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12. Rue saw an empty construction area not too far from where they stood. They had walked towards the place the man had pointed, and the site was the first thing that they had spotted. The empty place on the Saturday morning showed them that the owner was a very understanding and probably very religious person. 

"Why don't you rest here a little?" Rue said.   
"What are you going to do?" Gene asked, suspicious, with her voice back for a while.   
"Buy something, I'm starved!" she replied, lying.   
"I know you're lying, Rue. No more stealing, ok?"   
"But you need bandages for those nasty things and I am hungry."   
"No, no more. And I'm not giving you any more money either. You can eat the stuff we bought before."   
"That stuff doesn't taste too good."   
"But we worked hard for it, and that's all you need. Besides, I don't need bandages, I'm fine."   
"Yea, yea, yea, will you at least rest a little?"   
"So you can sneak off the minute I close my eyes? I don't think so."   
"You're gonna have to trust me cause I could use my powers on you right now."   
"You wouldn't dare....," she said, her voice was barely a whisper now, but she could still be just as threatening.   
"Wanna bet?" Rue said, raising her hands slowly. 

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13. Logan went out to get the supplies needed. With the house being destroyed and all, a lot of things were missing. The hardware store was his first stop for the day, he got out of the X-van and walked in the store. A new wax caught his eye for a second, he did need to take better care of his pride and joy after his little trip. He checked the time and noticed it was 8:36 a.m. It was unusually late, but he just shrugged and continued looking through the store. While he looked at the cables Scott wanted, a small girl crossed the street towards the store. He got everything and glanced at the clock on the wall: 9:48. 

"Say, is that clock fast?" he asked.   
"No, my watch says the same thing. I guess it's just one of those days that go by fast. $103.39," the man said. 

Logan shoved his hand in his pocket and didn't find the money Charles had given him. He checked the other pocket and the locket was missing too. He looked down and found Xavier's blank check laying there. He needed it for later, but he could simply go back home and explain what had happened, though he, himself, didn't know. 


	3. Alone with Daniel

14. Gene looked around and Elaine wasn't there anymore. 

_Oh! That girl is getting so spoiled! _ she thought.   
_**That's what you get for protecting her all the time...   
Shut up, Daniel, **_ she thought.   
**_Don't ever say I didn't warn you.   
Yeah, yeah, yeah.   
Will you at least sleep like the girl suggested?   
I doubt I'll be able to.   
Try, won't ya?_**

She moved around the site, she found a nice quiet little spot near some boxes on the back. She tried making herself comfortable, but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that swept over her. 

**_You're restless, Daniel. How am I supposed to sleep if you're like that?   
I know, but I felt something or someone. Keep a look out. I'm sure I felt someone, you should use your powers to be sure.   
I don't have the energy, and even if I did, you know my vision would've been gone after that. If someone really is after me, I'd be useless. I can't scream and I can't see.   
Yeah, but you're better out safe than sorry. Plus, the way you're going, your vision is gonna be gone anyway.   
Why are you being so nice to me lately?   
I'll let you figure that one out on your own.   
You've always been my devil in disguise, so, why now?   
You have to learn that things aren't always what they seem to be.... Faye!! Heads up!!!_**

She looked up and saw that a box had been thrown at her. She was barely able to dodge it and land on her feet, when another one got thrown. She did a back flip, and looked around attentively, searching for whomever had come after her, but she couldn't see anyone. Against her better judgment she used her powers... 

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15. Logan used the blank check to pay for the tools and walked to the door, when he sniffed the air and caught a scent that wasn't there before. He carefully walked out of the store and followed it into an alley. 

"2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and with this makes.... whoa! $539.35, not bad!!! I think this will do. Her medicine is usually very expensive," Rue said to no one, not noticing that Logan looked at her from behind.   
"What's this?" she muttered, looking at the locket. "'To keep you from ever losing the way home. Love always, Logan.'," she read. "Wait...Could he be..."   
"I believe that's mine," Logan said, claws out. 

Rue gasped and tried to run but Sabretooth jumped down in front of her, and leaped to get her. 

"Oh, no!" she said, regretting the time she left. 

Logan reached for the locket as Rue screamed "STOP!!!" Sabretooth stopped in mid-air and, with satisfaction, Rue smiled, seeing it had worked. She turned around to face an astounded Logan. Her eyes panicked and she tried pulling away from him. Seeing that the chain was the thing that saved him from the girl's powers, he quickly caught her arm. 

"Let me go!" she screamed, dropping the locket on the floor.   
"Wait. I know ya're a mutant, and I know someone that could help ya," he said, picking the locket from the floor and shoving it in his pocket.   
"Stop! Stop! Stop....," she said, her eyes starting to tear. "Why isn't it working?"   
"Because...," he sighed, as the girl dropped to her knees. "I'm holdin' on to ya. Now, how 'bout we get away from ugly here, and I'll take ya to my friend Chuck...eh...Charles Xavier. Maybe I'll even buy ya something ta eat on the way, eh?"   
"Xavier," the girl's eyes lit up. "She was supposed to take me to see him."   
"Who?" he asked, as his heart jumped in excitement, and sniffed the girl.   
"Gene."   
"Gene what?"   
"Just Gene. Oh, ummm...he called her Faye once."   
"What?!? Take me to 'er!" he cried, startling Rue and making her lose her concentration. 

Sabretooth fell hard on the floor. He looked around and spotted Rue. Logan caught her shoulder and moved her out of the way; he stood between her and Sabretooth now, his claws came out in a slow *SNIKT* and he was ready to protect her. She pushed him out of the way, raised her hands and concentrated. 

"Stop!" she cried with conviction, as Logan rushed to catch the sleeve of her shirt.   
"Let's get outta here," he said, pulling her by the arm. 

They walked to the X-van, he nodded and Rue let go of her time grip. They quickly got in and Logan drove away. He had enough time to see Sabretooth come out in the street. 

"So, what's your name?" he started, relieved to see Sabretooth stay away.   
"Rue," she answered, shyly.   
"So, Rue, where is she exactly?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

16. Gene looked around. The energy-seeking power wasn't working as well as she's hoped; she could only see heat and cold, but at least it was something. She gripped her staff; it was not the only defense she had. 

A hot rectangle came flying towards her. She moved out of its way and ran. The card exploded, thrusting her into a box that she hadn't seen. 

_Damn, I have no use for this power. Inanimate objects show no heat,_ she thought.   
_**But they show cold,**_ Daniel replied, trying to help.   
_**Not enough of it to register.   
Faye! Behind you!!**_

She turned around and saw two big flames coming her way. She screamed and threw her arms up to protect herself, and with it the floor followed, forming a protective wall. 

_**I gotta get out of here.   
Get out of the way, the other one's coming. **_

She saw a bundle of cold coming towards her and knew immediately what she had to do. She concentrated on her body and got it to sink in the floor slowly. Colossus rammed through the wall but didn't find her. She reappeared behind him with her left hand transformed. She touched him slightly and got enough energy to knock the big guy out. Gambit came to her and tried to attack her. She ran aimlessly looking for a way out. As he slammed her into a wall, she saw a cat come out and hiss at her. 

**_They're coming, _**Daniel warned. 

The cat broke into a run and Gene followed its form to and fro in the construction site. The cat escaped something and Gene followed it. Behind her, nearly the whole site screamed in fire. The cat and her finally walked into sunlight, she looked around searching for someone to ask for directions, though she knew her voice must've been long gone. She spotted a man nearby. 

_**It's a newsstand, **_Daniel told her, concentrating on the outside. 

The brand-new energy had given him more control and access to some of his other powers. She walked up to the man and smiled. Her eyes looked greenish and cloudy. 

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked. 

She motioned that she needed a pen, which he handed to her. She, then, pointed to a newspaper, as he handed it to her, he knew she needed more help than he could offer. With the pen, she scribbled something down, following the movements closely with her fingers. 

"Do you want me to call the police? Or maybe the paramedics?" he asked, to which she promptly answered "no". When she was done, she turned it around for him to see. 

'Xavier's Institute for the Gifted,' it read. 

"Where is it?" he asked. 

She nodded. 

"Oh, I don't know...but wait, I'll get ya the address," he said taking his cell phone and dialing 4-1-1. He spoke for a minute or two and hung up. 

"Ok, I could call a cab for you."   
She shook her head.   
**_Why not?_** Daniel asked.   
**_Too many people would be involved,_** she replied. 

"All right, you go down this street and, two blocks away, you turn left. Follow that street all the way down--it's about 8 or 9 blocks--turn right on the street next to Bayville High. Then, you turn left again and follow that street all the way down. You should get there all right, but it's complicated," he said handing the newspaper back. "Not to mention exhausting." 

She took the first page, folded it and shoved it in her robe's pocket. She took out a bill and handed it to the man. 

"Oh, no... No way. I ain't about to take a hundred bucks from no blind, mute monk. No sir. Keep it, you might need it to get there." 

She bowed to the man, using her powers, took one of the beads she wore around her wrist, and gave it to him. She remembered the Buddhist monk she had met in the way to New York. He had been kind enough to give her his own clothes, staff and beads, though he knew he needed them to get back home. He told her that they would keep her safe and protected. As they sat around a campfire one day, Rue already asleep, he, on his own dialect, explained the meaning of his long journey away from his home and his own studies. 

He had had a dream, he said, a dream that told him that he needed to travel to a far away land, the farthest one from him. In there, he would find a female with special gifts, gifts that were strong enough to destroy whole civilizations, but she was very weak and fragile. She, herself, was on a journey of her own, against all odds, to take a young girl to a wise man in a huge concrete town. This wise man would be the key to saving this woman, but the most important factor would be the one who holds her path, the one that needed to show her the way. The dream didn't tell him what he was supposed to do when he found the woman, but for three whole years he searched, until he came across Gene and Rue. 

As he sat there, with his eyes closed, deep in meditation, Gene wondered why the man came to her rescue. She was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, when he found her. In two days, she was nursed back to health--occasionally aided by her absorption powers, of course--and within two weeks, the monk had taught her to control her anger and find a way of getting out of situations without using brute force, though he also trained her in the few martial arts he knew. When it came time for them to part, he gave her his robe, the bag with a few supplies he carried and the staff for when Gene would go blind; he also gave them nearly all the money he had brought for the journey. Gene was concerned about the monk, but he reassured her that he would be fine because he had completed his mission--he could now die in peace. Gene couldn't cope with the monk's loss, when a couple of hours after he said that, she lost control and killed him. 

She smiled gently at the thought. Whatever made her thing of him was still protecting her, maybe even the monk himself was. She followed the road and, two blocks later, she stood at an intersection. She was about to cross the street when she heard people shouting. 

"No, I didn't do anything," she heard Akira shout. 

She followed the sounds and body-slammed Akira. He stumbled to his feet and looked wildly at Gene. 

"Faye-san!" he cried in joy.   
_**They're coming,**_ Daniel warned. 

She put her hand in Akira's mouth and pushed him against the wall in the corner of a smaller street. She closed her eyes and concentrated; the concrete surrounded them and covered them up completely. It, then, hardened to form a decorative corner in a building. 

"Where did that mutie go?" one of the teens in the small gang asked.   
"Man! Can he run!" the other said.   
"That's probably his power," the first mentioned.   
"Well, what about the weed thing?" another said.   
"Whatever...let's just find him," the first said. 

**_They're gone,_** Daniel reported. 

Gene let go of the wall and it fell down revealing them. She nearly collapsed on Akira's arms. He took her in his shop and gave her some water. 

"Thank you," he said.   
"Paper," she said, raspy. 

He handed her paper and she shakily jotted down some words. It was all in Japanese, so he understood it well. She signed at the bottom and handed it to him. She took a bundle of bills from her robe and gave it to him. 

"I can't...," he said.   
"Go back to Japan. In this dojo, there's a shrine with lots of vegetation. Be sure to tell Yakamoto-san who sent you," she said.   
"I can't pay you back for this."   
"Just point me to Xavier's Institute. I have to find someone."   
"Who?"   
"Rue."   
"Who's she?"   
"A girl I'm taking to Xavier. She needs somewhere to stay, she'll be safe with them."   
"Ok, come," he said, taking her by the arm. 

They walked about a mile until they reached a park. He took hear near the river that ran through Bayville. 

"Follow river. It take you to Xavier. Rogan there too."   
"Thank you very much. I'm not going to take your time anymore."   
**_Watch your energy,_** warned Daniel, as Akira watched her transform her body and dive into the river. 

And so, she followed it. Unsure who Logan was, worried about Rue, but knowing she was going to the one man who could help her. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

17. Logan and Rue got to the empty construction site. They found everything burned up and destroyed. Rue found Gene's bag turned over with her contents all dumped down. Someone had searched all over the bag, but taken nothing. The only thing missing was the newspaper clipping Gene had made when she first saw the news of Xavier's presidential pardon. 

While Logan searched up and down the site, Rue started walking away and leaving him alone. 

"And where are ya goin'?" he asked, without turning.   
"I was..."   
"You ain't goin' nowhere, I'm takin' ya to Xavier."   
"Listen, I don't think that's such good idea, 'cause see...."   
"Pyro was here, ya know. And the other two, Gambit and Colossus. Did Faye tell ya that they'd be lookin' for her?"   
"Well...."   
"Ya're just as transparent as Faye is."   
"I--uh.... I'm gonna go," she said, trying to run.   
"No, ya don't."   
"Out of the way, or I'll make you live me alone."   
"I'll just track ya down, I got a good nose, or Faye hasn't told ya that?"   
"Uhmm....," she said, biting her lip.   
"What?"   
"Nothing," she shrugged. How could she say that Faye didn't remember who he was or how she knew him? 


	4. Keep Going

18. She couldn't follow the path through the ground anymore. She came up and the water soaked her. She looked at the sun; it must've been at least three o'clock, maybe later. It had taken her too long to follow the path and she knew she was nowhere near the Institute. 

She looked at her surroundings. She knew she hadn't followed any branches on the river but she wasn't sure where she was exactly. The woods ran thickly on each side. 

She climbed out of the river and laid tiredly on the grass. She needed the rest. She closed her eyes and welcomed the deep sleep that followed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

19. Rue hungrily ate the stuff they put in front of her. 

"Slow down, darlin'," said Logan. "Ya're gonna choke."   
"What an appetite you have," Ororo said. 

They had already finished with the outside work, so Xavier gave them a break to take care of Rue. 

Xavier wheeled into the still plain kitchen and looked at the girl. 

"Hello," he said, smiling tenderly. "I'm Charles Xavier. Allow me to welcome you to our school. We will help you with anything you need. Eat and drink as much as you want, then we can talk and find out more about your powers, ok?" He turned to Ororo. "Have you taken care of any wounds she might have had?" 

Rue looked down ashamedly at her half-eaten sandwich. Big tears filled her eyes as guilt swept her body and the thought of Gene came up on her mind. She sighed and cleaned her eyes with the back of her hands, but more tears followed. 

"What's wrong?" asked Ororo, but Xavier already knew.   
"She's been under a lot of stress, so why don't we just let her rest? Tomorrow we'll begin searching for Faye." 

Logan was about to open his mouth in protest, but Xavier stopped him. He looked at the girl who sobbed her life away. He sighed and walked her to one of the finished empty units. 

Once there, he watched her sleep soundly, after she had cried a lot, and smiled. He felt a nice feeling come back to him, one that he hadn't felt in a while. He thought of Faye and what she could be doing with this girl. He wondered what other secrets had she kept from him all these years. These thoughts got interrupted a message from Xavier that Scott was in trouble. He caressed her forehead and kissed her gently, leaving the door ajar on his way out. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

20. Faye woke up and saw that it was night already. 

"Owww...my head," she muttered. 

**_You have to start taking better care of yourself.   
Yeah, I know. Now tell me, last time you called me Faye, you tricked me into walking right into Weapon X. What have you planned this time?   
You're gonna have to learn to trust me sometime._**   
"Yeah, when the sky turns purple, and cows grow wings," she said, pushing herself up. 

Big clouds formed on the horizon, as she walked right into heavy rain. Her soaked robe weighed her down and slowed her significantly. Each step seemed like an endless journey, but she marched on with determination. As more rain came, making it difficult to see ahead, Gene came to a big wall separating the woods. She followed it with her eyes to each side, but didn't find an end to it. 

**_Daniel, I need your help, _** she asked.   
**_Oh, so you're gonna trust me now?   
Don't be ridiculous.   
Fine, then, help yourself.   
Daniel...   
What?   
Please?   
No, you ought to learn to depend on yourself too. Now you're just seeking an easy way out, you can solve this problem yourself. If you were in any real danger, I'd interfere.   
Fine!_**

"Damned bastard!"   
**_I heard that!_**   
"Like I give a shit...," she grumbled, climbing up on the wall. 

She climbed and climbed, until she finally reached the top. She followed it to the left and found a clearing. She climbed down and, with her hands, followed the wall until she reached a corner. The sky lit up and the bright moon shone down on her, blessing her determination. Her vision got dark and blurry, so she could barely make out the shapes of the trees. She clutched her staff and kept on going. She followed the corner and, suddenly, it gave into bars, metal bars. She followed their shapes with her fingers. On the other side, she found a plaque that read "Xavier's Institute for Gifted Students." 

Her knees gave in a she collapsed on the ground. She had finally found it. She wanted to cry, so many burdens seemed to be lifted off her shoulders. She was still worried about Rue, but she knew everything would be solved now. 

She pulled herself together and jumped over a wall. She couldn't speak or see, so the intercom would be of no help to her. As she walked up to the mansion, the security systems went off. Out of the ground, four big laser guns popped up, ready to fire at the intruder. She continued on, ready to take on anything. One of the lasers fired a warning shot, but she swiftly dodged it. She stood still; on her tiptoes, she looked tall and more menacing. She could barely see now, but she did notice the lights go on in the house. A big guy came out and that's the last thing she saw. 

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her surroundings. She heard the lasers powering up, then fire. She dodged two blasts, but the third hit her in the back. She quickly turned around and raised her hands, two spikes followed it form the ground and pierced each laser, on opposite sides. 

_Two gone,_ she thought. _Two more to go._

She transformed her body, disappeared and reappeared in front of one of the lasers. As the opposite laser fired and the one behind her charged up, she gathered energy into her hand. 

**_Use the other powers. You'll need that energy,_** Daniel warned. 

She jumped up, dodging the blast, which landed on the laser behind her, and extended her left arm, palm out, to the laser in front. She groaned as a tentacle, with an arrowhead at the end, came out of the palm of her hand, and pierced the laser. She pulled her hand back and the tentacle reeled itself back in her hand. All weapons were gone, so she continued walking towards the Institute. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

21. Beast came out to see who was trying to invade the Institute. With Storm, Wolverine and Professor X out in Mexico, looking for Scott, he was the next best thing they had to a defense. He had told some of the kids to stay inside, but Spyke, Cannonball, Nightcrawler, and Rogue came out to see what has happening. 

He watched the figure destroy the only lasers they had been able to hook up, and shook his head, slowly. 

"Not a day of peace, right?" Beast sighed.   
"I guess not. Who's that now?" Spyke asked.   
"Let's find out. Hello, there!!! Who are you?" Beast shouted, but there was no answer.   
"Ah think she didn't hear ya," Rogue said.   
"Hold on, I'll 'port there and talk to her," Nightcrawler said.   
"Be careful," warned Beast. 

Nightcrawler nodded and *BAMF*ed. He reappeared in front of Gene, who recoiled at the shift in energy. Her mind started racing wildly and her thoughts clouded. 

_**Calm down, he's only trying to...,**_ Daniel's voice faded.   
_Daniel? _she called. _Please don't leave me. Not now._

Alone and scared, Gene automatically shifted into defense mode. Nightcrawler waved to the woman, who replied to him by swinging her staff. The big club at the top of it missed his head by mere inches. He teleported back to the others. 

"She's crazy!" he said.   
"She? Tat's a she?" Rogue asked.   
"Apparently," Cannonball pointed. The hood of her robe had fallen and her sleek, short, black hair fell on her shoulders. 

Her eyes looked lost and foggy. Beast had a feeling she meant trouble, he knew he had better keep the kids away from her. 

"I'm gonna go over there," Cannonball said, propelling himself.   
"No!" Beast shouted, but he was already halfway there. 

He came towards the woman, she looked up and, though she couldn't see, she felt him come towards her. She gathered energy on her hand and fired. It was just a small shot but it was enough to change his course and have him land on the pool at the back of the house. 

"My turn," Spyke said.   
"No, I'll go talk to her," Beast said. "Stay put!" 

Spyke grumped, but agreed. Beast walked toward the woman, who now stood menacingly tall, the robe covering her bare feet. Her head hung low like she was listening to something closely. As he came within three feet from her, she raised her head, took the staff in her right hand and extended her palm to him. He saw that she had a very deep cut going down her palm, her hand was also drenched in blood. He sped up and, as he did so, a tentacle, this time with a grappling claw instead of the arrowhead in the end, came out and headed to him. He tried moving out of the way, but it followed his movements. The tentacle wrapped around him and raised him up. The claw clapped and snapped at his face. 

"Ok, that's it," Spyke said. 

He threw spikes to her. She took Beast out of the way and, with the other hand, she conjured up howling winds. The wild gusts blew and beat everything and everyone. The spikes were blown away, back to its owner. In no time, Rogue and Spyke were pinned to the wall. Nightcrawler had teleported away. 

"Way to go, porcupaine," Rogue said. 

Tom and Jeff came running from inside. Tom's legs were much better now, but he still couldn't do as much as he wanted. 

They walked down the stairs to the angel fountain and challenged the woman. She looked at them and accepted the challenge. She conjured up winds of 70 mph, she literally wanted to blow them away. Tom crouched down and put his hands on the ground. Through it, he sent his powers to the machines. They responded to his call and came up, firing at her. She dodged what she could, but Beast was slowing her down, so she threw him against the Institute and reeled her tentacle back in. She raced toward them, being sure to protect herself from Jeff's energy daggers, and jumped over them. She landed on top of the angel's head, and looked down at them. 

They turned and backed up a couple of steps. She came down, staff in hand, ready to club them into next Tuesday. She took on Tom, who dodged two of her blows. He used the lasers as defenses, but she was very quick. Jeff threw a dagger on her arm and paralyzed it. She jumped back and looked at him; she ran to him this time, but Tom fired the lasers at her. She stopped turned her attention to Tom and let her tentacle out. Jeff saw the opportunity and threw three daggers. One landed on her shoulder and two on her legs. Her body felt heavy, but she continued standing, so Jeff, seeing no other way out, threw three more daggers. This time aiming two of them straight at her heart and the other at her brain. As they landed, she stumbled back and fell heavily on the floor. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

22. Having stopped Shadowcat, Iceman, Sunspot and Magma, Rue came running out the door to see what was the commotion. Dumbfounded, she saw the three energy daggers land on Gene. Like a movie in slow motion, she saw the woman fall back and Tom and Jeff walk up to her. She ran to them. 

"NO!" she cried, as Beast caught her. "Let me go!"   
"She's dangerous," he said.   
"She's not, she's my friend. That's Gene!"   
"What?" Tom said, walking back with Gene in his arms.   
"That's Gene! What have you done to her???" Rue cried out.   
"Oh, God! And you threw daggers at her?!?" Tom said, looking at Jeff.   
"Don't give me that! You attacked her too," Jeff said. "How was I supposed to know that was her?"   
"What's going on?" Beast asked.   
"Jeff's daggers hit her heart and her head," Tom said.   
"So?" Beast asked.   
"They're paralyzing daggers. Meaning her heart's gonna stop and so will her brain, it'll happen pretty soon too," Jeff said.   
"How long will the effect last?" Rue asked.   
"Too long. If she was at her full potential, her brain wouldn't even stop working, she would be alright because she's very strong," Tom said. "I doubt she'd even stop walking."   
"She isn't strong," Rue cried. "She's not gonna be ok, because Magneto did too much to her, and she was almost dead when she took me away."   
"Get her inside. Now!" Beast said, hurriedly. 


	5. Time Stopping

23. "How long until the paralysis wears off?" Beast asked going into the infirmary.   
"I would need to know how her state is, my guess is anywhere from seven to fifteen minutes. That's too long," Tom answered, feeling his leg start cramping, and placed Faye into one of the beds. "Dammit, I hate being on the outside, I can't help her any out here." 

Beast hooked her up to machines that would monitor her pulse and brain waves. Tom took the robe off her and looked at the woman whom he once called sister. 

"We're losing her," Beast reported, though Tom wasn't listening. _  
This isn't her,_ he thought. _It can't be. She's...different. _  
"Tom," said Rue, cutting through his thoughts.   
"Yes, love?"   
"Is Jeff's a time paralysis or is it a liquid paralysis?"   
"I don't understand, what are you on about?"   
"His daggers, they paralyze people, right?" she paused and he nodded. "Well, is it anything like my time control powers?" 

Tom's eyes lit up. 

"JEFF!!!!!!!!!" he hollered, walking out the door.   
"What?" Jeff answered, walking up the hallway.   
"Your paralysis, does it go through the blood and the system or is it mainly directed by time?"   
"Hmm...Time, I suppose. But the amount of time depends on how susceptible the person is to the energy thrown at them."   
"Meaning?" Rue asked from the door.   
"It simply means that if the person is strong, the energy might only work for a short period of time. But if the person is weak, the energy will be stronger and the paralysis will last longer. Think of it as a spell of sorts, or a trance, it works differently depending on the person," Jeff explained, walking up to the room.   
"So if she were to stop time around Faye, the paralysis would wear off without damaging her body?" Tom asked.   
"I'm not sure, it might," Jeff said. "How do your powers work?"   
"Well, from what I've been told, I can create a bubble where time is stopped, I can only control people's personal times, not time itself."   
"Well, theoretically that could happen, but it would create an imbalance on the rules of the universe," Jeff said.   
"You know, you're not the Oracle, right?" Tom said. "She is."   
"Not anymore. She was never supposed to be one in the first place."   
"Pardon me?"   
"It's true, I know how she became the Oracle and it wasn't right. She is an imbalance on things, plus, she didn't even do a good job at it. You know, for an Oracle she was pretty clueless most of the time."   
"Will you guys knock it off?" Rue screamed. "Will my powers work or not?"   
"You could try, honey," Jeff said, bending down. "But how long can you hold it for?"   
"Hopefully, long enough," she said, walking in.   
"How's she?" Jeff asked.   
"Her pulse is gone, but her brain waves are still active. It's as if someone in her was still fighting to keep going," Beast said.   
"Daniel most likely," Tom said.   
"Could be," Beast said and sighed. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"   
"The three of us together?" Tom asked.   
"Yes."   
"Sure has. Although, last time I wasn't standing here on the outside and you weren't blue. It was after Mexico, right?"   
"Yes, I remember. I let her hide in my place for a while."   
"Oh, yes..."   
"Alright! Enough chitchat, let me get to work," Rue complained. "Get out of here. I don't want to stop you guys too."   
"What are you gonna do?" asked Beast.   
"She's gonna stop Faye's personal time to see if she can help with the paralysis. It's a long shot, though."   
"I'll try to concentrate only on her, but if you're too close, I can't protect you. I still don't know how Logan got away."   
"I can't let you go through with this," Jeff said.   
"I agree," Beast said.   
"Why?" Tom and Rue asked at the same time.   
"It's way too dangerous. She's still too young and inexperienced. It would be hard for Xavier to keep it going for as long as she's planning," Beast said.   
"Besides, if I know Faye, she'll have a fit if she knew what you had planned," Jeff completed.   
"She just doesn't have the proper training," Beast said. Rue tried to protest but they shook their heads, so she stormed out of the room.   
"Oh, alright. You don't care if Faye is dying anymore. She's been on the verge of death so many times before, maybe you think she'll pull through again," Tom blurted, sarcastically.   
"Tom, it's not that we don't care," Jeff said.   
"Oh, no. It's just that everyone will be better off if she does die, right? You said so yourself: she's an imbalance. She killed the Oracle and took his place, right?"   
"She killed the Oracle and took my place!" Jeff screamed.   
"Oh, so that's what this is about? But no matter, I will try everything I can," Tom hollered, putting his hands on Faye's shoulders. 

He concentrated his powers on her heart and her mind. 

"Now, what are you doing?" Jeff asked.   
"She's always calling herself a machine, maybe this will work," he answered. 

His powers passed through Faye's body and ran up the machines. The heart monitor beeped once but it was soon silent; at the same time the brain wave patterns died down. Suddenly, Rue came running back, she pressed Faye's thumb on the sensor of the small, cylindrical object she had on her hands. As she did, the stick released itself and a scythe popped out at the end. She took it on her hands and, careful not to touch the many sensors, she jumped up on the bed and pointed the weapon to the three men standing there. 

"Get out!!" she demanded.   
"Now, what in the world do you think you're doing?" asked Beast.   
"I gotta save her. Come on, outside, and don't even think about coming in here," she said swinging the weapon around. "NOW!"   
"Hey! You're gonna hurt someone like that. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye," Jeff said.   
"Oh, bloody hell," Tom muttered. "Nice time for a joke." 

They backed up until they reached the door. Beast and Jeff got out, but Tom stayed put, looking at the girl. She jumped down from the bed and threatened Tom. 

"Get out!" she said.   
"Make me," he answered. 

She swung the scythe around but he blocked it. 

"Get out!" she said, her eyes tearing.   
"You're forgetting, love, that I had to live with Faye for a long time. Anything you can possibly say or do won't scare me in the least." 

She furiously swung the scythe again, this time she cut his shirt across the chest. Bringing it back, she nipped Tom's cheek. He put his hand up and felt blood trickling down. Angrily, he charged up to the girl and caught the scythe. He sent his powers to the sensors and activated them. The scythe popped back in, but before he could retract the pole, she pushed him. She couldn't do much, other than make him laugh, but she tried nonetheless. Tom was about to pick her up, when Jeff caught him by the collar and pulled him outside. The door closed between them and Jeff stood in front of it. 

"Ok, you can't come in," Jeff said.   
"Now, what are you on about? You're the one who was against having her do anything!" Tom protested.   
"Right, and I don't expect you to understand it. You didn't see what I saw."   
"Ya can't see, ya bloomin' retard!!!" Tom hollered. "You know, I ain't gonna stick around here, and let me just say that I ain't the one that'll answer the Canadian bloke when he's back. I'm going in there to get Faye away from that brat, now, piss off!"   
"NO!" Jeff shouted. "In there, there's a scared little girl, who thinks that the only person that cared for her in the world is about to die, I'm not going to destroy her dream like that, so you piss off!!" 

With all the anger he was feeling balled up in him, Tom clenched his fists and tried to hold himself, but he couldn't. He growled and jumped on Jeff, who tried to protect himself; Tom caught his walking stick and threw it back, hitting Beast, who was about to break up the two, in the nose. Tom punched Jeff in the face twice and was about to punch him again when Jeff caught his hand and squeezed. Jeff landed one on Tom's nose, as Beast, who was now bleeding, pulled them apart. Beast stood between the two. 

"Stop that!" he warned. "The professor will be back any minute now. We have to get Rue out of there." 

Tom tried to get Jeff, but Beast stopped him. 

"This isn't your concern, alright?" Tom said.   
"Yeah," Jeff said, trying to get Tom; Beast put his hands up between them. "Stay out of it!!!" He put his hands up and imagined Beast away. 

In a second, Beast found himself locked up in a cage in the attic. 

"Oh," he sighed to himself, sitting down and resting his chin on one of his hands. "Why do I keep getting involved into stuff like this?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

24. Back in the infirmary, Rue concentrated on Faye's body. The machines had stopped moving, and she smiled to herself. She was on top of the bed standing in front of Faye, with her hands up and the palms facing Faye, as if she was about to put a spell on her. Rue concentrated hard and ignored the peanut gallery outside. 

One of the machined beeped, and she concentrated harder. She could feel her powers failing and time slipping away, but she was determined to save the one person who freed her from Magneto's grasps. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

25. Once Beast was away, Jeff faced Tom again. 

"Now, where were we?" he asked, getting into position.   
"I was about to kick your arse," Tom said, attacking Jeff. 

Tom grabbed Jeff by the collar and slammed him into a wall. Jeff grunted but stomped Tom's foot. He turned and brought his elbow into Tom's chest, quickly following it with a punch. Tom caught Jeff's fist and head-butted him; he, then, grabbed his shoulders, brought his knee sharply into Jeff's stomach and his elbow down on his back. Jeff fell down coughing and hacking. 

"Had enough?" Tom asked, sarcastically. 

Jeff brought himself up, growled and tackled Tom. The two men wrestled each other, kicking and punching, one trying to kill the other. 

Professor Xavier wheeled his chair down the hallway, followed by Logan, Jean and a tired, but unscathed, Scott. Xavier halted as he saw the two of them fighting. 

"Hey!" Logan growled. "Quit it!" 

Logan pulled Tom from on top of Jeff and threw him back. He turned around and slammed an angry and hurtful Jeff, who was already up and going at Tom. He pulled him away, as Scott and Jean contained Tom. 

"I got half a mind to throw one of my daggers at you," Jeff threatened.   
"Jeff, calm down," Xavier pleaded.   
"Well, what the hell are you waiting for, mate?" Tom taunted. 

Jeff growled, pushed Logan out of the way, conjured up a dagger and threw it in Tom's direction. 

"Look out!" Scott gasped, pushing Tom out of the way. 

The dagger landed on Scott's shoulder. He groaned, as the paralyzing effect started spreading to his forearm and shoulder blade. He kneeled down feeling his body suddenly very heavy and numb. 

"Scott!" Jean cried and went to pick him up. 

Jeff huffed as guilt spread over his conscience. He looked at Logan, then at Scott, and ran his hands through his hair. 

"Great going," Tom said, walking towards him.   
"Tom!" Logan howled. "One more outta ya, bub.....The hell's she doin'?" 

He looked up inside the infirmary. He saw Rue standing over a woman with her arms up. However, she wasn't standing as defiant as before. Her knees were bent barely as if she couldn't stand her own weight, her head hung low and a vein was about to pop up on her forehead. Her whole body shook with strain and sweat dropped down on the white covers. 

"Get 'er outta there," Logan cried to Jean. 

As Rue collapsed, Jean concentrated on her and started lifting her away from the woman. The machines beeped twice and flat-lined once more. 

"Who the hell's that?" Logan asked, but neither Jeff nor Tom listened to him. 

They each pushed one another to get into the room. Xavier followed them, meanwhile Logan took Scott and placed him into a bed on a joined room. Jean placed the girl carefully on Logan's arms and went to look after Scott. As Logan picked the girl up, he looked at Jeff, who nodded--he wasn't going to let Tom get to him anymore. He was already covered in the deepest guilt for letting the girl do what she wanted, he didn't need any more problems. He faced a lifeless Faye, and watched as Tom continued to frantically perform CPR on her, though they knew that it wouldn't work any. 

"Tom...," Xavier started.   
"I'm not giving up on her!" he cried. **__**

Xavier..., someone called telepathically. **_Charles Xavier.   
Yes? Who is it? _**he answered, but the voice went silent. 

Logan came back after giving the girl to Kitty to look after. Xavier wheeled his chair to the woman, as Jeff pulled Tom away. 

"Let me go!" he said, trying to free himself of Jeff's grips. 

Xavier put one hand on the woman's head and the other on his own temple, and concentrated. Suddenly, both Xavier and Faye screamed loudly. Faye's eyes shot up as Xavier collapsed in the bed. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

26. She looked around, got up and tried to stand. Hearing a noise beside her, she spun around but fell from the bed. She pushed herself against the wall blinking madly; her eyesight going back and forth between light and dark. 

She looked wildly at the people in front of her, not recognizing anyone--her brain too confused to think--she could think of only one thing: getting away. 

The short man in the middle with his claws out seemed tough, however, he proved to be a be a good exit. She charged up to the bed, climbed it, and jumped over Logan, who backed up and caught her as she landed. She growled and struggled to get away from him. He pulled her down with him. As she stood on top of him, the ring that was inside her uniform slipped off. Logan's eyes widened and she pulled away from him. He stood between her and the door. 

"What have ya done ta 'im?" he asked, growling. 

Jeff tried getting to her but she conjured up strong winds that swirled wildly around her. She tackled Logan, but he caught her with ease. He held her hands together in front of her. The more she struggled, the harder the winds blew. She looked very different, she was leaner, meaner, and definitely tougher; somehow, she looked older too. __

More experienced, maybe, Logan thought, though he secretly knew it wasn't true. 

She didn't have the exact same healing capabilities he had, but the little she did possess worked the same way. Once she had told him that when she was born, they tried to genetically turn the aging factor off. She said that she wasn't sure if they succeeded, but having her grow up was proof enough they hadn't. However, he remembered the second time he found her, like this time, she was much older than before; he couldn't explain it but though a few years had passed, she had aged decades. The same thing seemed to be true now. When she first came to Bayville, she looked the same way she had when they parted ways after Yuki's death, but now she had aged years in just a weeks, no, days. 

She was still struggling and breathing hard. He was worried about her. She felt like she was going to lose it. In a moment of insanity, she extended her palm and released the tentacle. It pushed Logan in the chest, startling him and making him fall back. She took advantage of it, pulled her tentacle back and ran out of the door. Logan scrambled to his feet and went after her, but all he did see was her diving into the floor and the small mount speeding off. 

"What the hell was that?" Jeff asked.   
"Who was that?" asked Tom. "She isn't the same." 

Logan sniffed the air around him, but didn't recognize her scent. He growled and punched the wall. As he walked back to the room, he stepped on something, and kneeled down to check. 

Jean had come into the room and was helping Tom put Xavier on the bed that Faye had been in. The room was in shambled now, the winds Faye had used to protect herself had nearly destroyed everything. 

Kitty and Bobby came inside the room, followed by Rogue and Nightcrawler. 

"What happened?" Bobby asked.   
"Where were you guys?" Jean asked.   
"Mr. McCoy asked us to stay away from her," said Nightcrawler.   
"We, like, had to take care of Rue, but she's, like, one major brat," Kitty said. "Amara and Roberto are there with her now."   
"What happened to the Professor?" asked Scott, walking into the room.   
"We don't know," Jeff said. "He tried reaching her with his mind but something happened."   
"See if you can reach him, Jean," Scott said. 

Jean concentrated hard. 

"No," she answered. "It's like he's not even there. Who did this?" 

Suddenly, Logan let his claws out in a loud *SNIKT*, which startled everyone. He growled, got up and looked closely at the floor outside the room. 

"Did ya get 'er?" Rogue asked.   
"Yeah," he grunted. "Jean, contact Storm and ask her to make a diversion. You guys take care o' Chuck. I'll bring 'er back."   
"I'm coming too," Tom said.   
"No."   
"Yeah, whatever, mate," Tom answered walking behind him. 

Impulsively, Logan caught Tom by the collar with one hand and slammed the claws of the other in the wall next to Tom's face. 

"Ya've done 'nough for one day, eh?" Logan growled. 

He pulled his claws away and left. Tom slid down the wall and gulped. 


End file.
